Survey: MRMC docs urge administrators to maintain quality, services

Tuesday

Jul 27, 2010 at 5:50 PMJul 27, 2010 at 5:53 PM

Munroe Regional Medical Center doctors surveyed by hospital administration say the ability to maintain current services, maximize Medicaid funding and get resources to maintain quality are the most important factors in any decision about the future of the once-beleaguered hospital.

By Jackie AlexanderStaff writer

Munroe Regional Medical Center doctors surveyed by hospital administration say the ability to maintain current services, maximize Medicaid funding and get resources to maintain quality are the most important factors in any decision about the future of the once-beleaguered hospital.

The doctors’ responses to the survey were part of the hospital trustee strategy to gather community input as they consider options for dealing with Munroe’s troubled finances.

About 50 physicians participated in the 18-question survey, Munroe CEO Steve Purves said. It was available for a week to more than 200 medical staff.

More than 85 percent of physicians who responded counted maintaining or expanding existing services as "very important," while only 39 percent thought adding new services was very important.

Doctors also gave high marks -- 70 percent -- to maintaining local governance and control of the hospital, an apparent rejection of the idea of selling the hospital to a corporation.

Trustee Jon Kurtz said the doctors get it right in the survey.

"They’re talking about capital and control and they’re doing it in their own way in their own verbiage," Kurtz said.

On the other end of the grading scale, physicians did not express overwhelming support for funding hospital needs with either property taxes or a sales tax. Just 49 percent ranked it as very important. Only three other priorities of the 18 posed to them were ranked lower.

Trustees will work into the fall on receiving and analyzing input from doctors and citizens about the future of MRMC, trustee Chairman Dr. Mike Jordan said.

Purves said that will happen through focus groups or polls of citizens.

"We’re leaning against a sort of informal process of having just general public hearings," Purves said.

Polling could cost up to $20,000, while focus groups would cost about $5,000.

"Let us move ahead as quickly as we can, because this is stalling us from reaching a decision," Jordan said.

Administrators will explain the methodology and the questions at the August 30 trustees meeting.

Also at Monday’s board meeting:

• Directors approved expanding Munroe’s orthopedics service to The Villages. The practice, expected to initially cost $600,000, is projected to bring in more than $800,000 in its third year. It will open in November.

• Dr. Douglas Murphy, a local gynecologist, will join the Munroe staff as director of surgical services. The one-year agreement provides leadership in the emergency room and increased communication between staff, administrators said. Murphy will be paid $125 per hour, up to $130,000.

• Chief Finance Officer Rich Mutarelli said investment income picked up after a down month. The hospital’s profits were nearly $2.6 million in June, with more than $11.6 million in profits this fiscal year, compared to $2.3 last fiscal year.